12 votes

Thoughts on putting the comment box at the beginning of Tildes threads?

Tags: ask

It's a slight inconvenience to have to scroll past dozens of comments just to reply to the thread. What do you guys think? Does having the ability to quickly jump into the conversation stifle discussion? I can see if some people feel that it should be necessary to read a more posts before posting in the thread, but I also think that a lot of people will just hit the END key or scroll past comments without really paying attention to them (if they just want to quickly reply).

16 comments

  1. [10]
    burntcookie90
    Link
    this is going to keep coming up without a search feature -_- This is by design. It's one more step to snap replies.

    this is going to keep coming up without a search feature -_-

    This is by design. It's one more step to snap replies.

    24 votes
    1. [8]
      zowesiouff
      Link Parent
      don't worry, it'll keep coming up even with a search feature, we need a way of notifying users of potential duplicate content more than we need free-form search imho.

      don't worry, it'll keep coming up even with a search feature, we need a way of notifying users of potential duplicate content more than we need free-form search imho.

      16 votes
      1. [7]
        burntcookie90
        Link Parent
        This could be a culture thing as well. The need to get your idea to the eyes of others, vs seeing if it's already been discussed.

        This could be a culture thing as well. The need to get your idea to the eyes of others, vs seeing if it's already been discussed.

        6 votes
        1. [6]
          zowesiouff
          Link Parent
          If "your idea" is already out there, is it really "your" idea?

          If "your idea" is already out there, is it really "your" idea?

          4 votes
          1. [5]
            ZaphodBeebblebrox
            Link Parent
            If you come up with an idea independently, it is your idea. It may not be uniquely your idea, but it is your idea.

            If you come up with an idea independently, it is your idea. It may not be uniquely your idea, but it is your idea.

            5 votes
            1. [4]
              zowesiouff
              Link Parent
              true, but how would you define "independently"? Can an idea really be "yours"? Or is it the product of your environment / specific stimulis such that even without being exposed to the idea, you...

              true, but how would you define "independently"? Can an idea really be "yours"? Or is it the product of your environment / specific stimulis such that even without being exposed to the idea, you followed the original poster's footsteps?

              1. [3]
                ZaphodBeebblebrox
                Link Parent
                Independently, as in without the help of another person who already has the idea. Perhaps independent of others who already have had the idea is a better way of phrasing it than independently. In...

                Independently, as in without the help of another person who already has the idea. Perhaps independent of others who already have had the idea is a better way of phrasing it than independently.

                In this case, I can defining an idea as "yours" inclusively, not exclusively. It is not necessarily "yours" in the sense of property, but it is "yours" because you reached the conclusion, not someone else. One could argue that no thought is original and people's actions are predetermined by their environment, but at this point the concept of an idea itself becomes moot.

                3 votes
                1. [2]
                  zowesiouff
                  Link Parent
                  Well you can still define an "idea" as the result of a specific set of environmental conditions on the human mind ;)

                  this point the concept of an idea itself becomes moot.

                  Well you can still define an "idea" as the result of a specific set of environmental conditions on the human mind ;)

                  1. ZaphodBeebblebrox
                    Link Parent
                    If you defined an idea as the result of a specific set of environmental conditions on the human mind, I would agree that no one could have possession of an idea. That definition puts ideas largely...

                    If you defined an idea as the result of a specific set of environmental conditions on the human mind, I would agree that no one could have possession of an idea. That definition puts ideas largely up to happenstance, and gives little to no weight to the human's ability to think and come up with an idea themselves.

                    1 vote
    2. Jedi
      Link Parent
      It'll keep coming up regardless of a search function. Reddit is proof of that.

      It'll keep coming up regardless of a search function.

      Reddit is proof of that.

      7 votes
  2. [3]
    Rabdomante
    Link
    tl;dr it gets brought up all the time, it's a conscious design choice to incentivize users to partecipate in discussions already happening rather than immediately post their own top-level comment

    tl;dr it gets brought up all the time, it's a conscious design choice to incentivize users to partecipate in discussions already happening rather than immediately post their own top-level comment

    14 votes
    1. [3]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. Jedi
        Link Parent
        It appears to be an Italian word, but no, it isn't English.

        But upon googling it, there seems to be plenty of results with "partecipate". Does anyone know if this is a valid spelling, some sort of regionalism? Or is it just a common misspelling?

        It appears to be an Italian word, but no, it isn't English.

        6 votes
      2. Neverland
        Link Parent
        When I google that spelling no English version comes up. But an Italian entry in https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/partecipate comes up, which is a bit confusing. I do see some uses of that, but...

        When I google that spelling no English version comes up. But an Italian entry in https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/partecipate comes up, which is a bit confusing. I do see some uses of that, but usually in the context of translated Italian. So I do not believe there is any real English version with that spelling.

        3 votes
  3. Hypersapien
    Link
    It's better to have some people jumping straight to the bottom of the page then have everyone have the box right there at the top. It's a simple fact that with the box at the bottom more people...

    It's better to have some people jumping straight to the bottom of the page then have everyone have the box right there at the top.

    It's a simple fact that with the box at the bottom more people will read comments before posting than with the box at the top.

    The fact that it doesn't work perfectly in all cases is just not a good argument.

    7 votes
  4. Neverland
    Link
    I hope it stays at the bottom. This will increase the chances of someone realizing they are about to post duplicate content. Or, at least content that belongs as part of the thread above. It took...

    I hope it stays at the bottom. This will increase the chances of someone realizing they are about to post duplicate content. Or, at least content that belongs as part of the thread above. It took me a little while to like this. I thought it was bad UX at first to have to scroll, but it makes a ton of sense.

    7 votes
  5. AReluctantTilder
    Link
    I’m not sure if it’s possible but a floating Plus (perhaps a ~) and a next parent button (⇊)would be great

    I’m not sure if it’s possible but a floating Plus (perhaps a ~) and a next parent button (⇊)would be great

    2 votes